A blog by Steve Malchow

Day: March 17, 2014

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As players and staff were cutting down the nets after winning the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Athletics Director Jamie Pollard walked to where I was soaking in the celebration.

“When we came here 9 years ago, could we even dream about something like this?” he asked while we did a 360-degree crowd scan. “What an amazing sight.”

A couple hours earlier, Pollard shared a panoramic photo from his iPhone of the pep rally at KC Live! An indescribable scene, we agreed.

“The crowd had a tremendous impact on the game (vs. Baylor) and it was so special to share the moment with our fans,” Coach Fred Hoiberg gushed afterwards. “We don’t have NFL, we don’t have NBA, we don’t have major league baseball (in our state) so there’s so much passion for college athletics, especially for Iowa State.”

After the win, Hoiberg did a victory lap around the court complete with fist pumps.

“The fist pump was in honor of Coach (Orr) and also to thank the fans,” Hoiberg said. “I wanted to show how much we appreciated everything they (the fan base) brought to Kansas City.”

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Several minutes after colorful streamers came pouring out of the ceiling at the Sprint Center as part of the celebration, ISU play-by-play man John Walters stopped and said, “I’ve got your lede for the blog. Baylor still hasn’t beaten Iowa State at home.”

Yes, John, the Cyclones have yet to drop a home game to the Bears since the Big 12 formed. Yes, John, this should count as “home” game, albeit at ISU’s secondary residence in KC.

Walters’ line may not have made the lede to this blog, but it was the perfect way to summarize the “fan”-tastic following that this school is fast becoming known for.